PSY 230 Main Page

Chapter 20:

  Socioemotional  Development in Late Adulthood

Theories of Socioemotional  Development

•         Focusing on five main theories:

–        Erikson’s stage: “integrity versus despair” – those in late adulthood reflect on past efforts or do
a life review, evaluating and then reinterpreting their lives

–        Disengagement theory states that people gradually withdraw from society as they age; self-preoccupation replaces emotional ties to, and interest in, society

–        Activity theory states that older adults become more active and productive in society; aging successfully makes them more satisfied in society

–        Socioemotional selectivity theory claims older adults seek higher emotional satisfaction as they age by being more selective about their type of social networks – focus is on goals

–        Selective optimization with compensation theory claims successful aging is linked to 3 main factors

•         Selection

•         Optimization

•         Compensation

•         In research that compares older and younger adults from diverse samples, older adults report 

–        Better control of their emotions

–        More mellowing of feelings

–        Fewer negative emotions

–        Positive connections with friends and family

•         Weakening in old age forces older adults to reduce the scope of their activities 

•         Loss is common in old age, and reactions vary according to one’s life history, values, health, and interests

•         Most older adults find life satisfying through attaining meaningful goals 

•         As one ages, health becomes the most important personal investment 

•         Optimization is more difficult for the oldest-old

The Self and Society

•         Exploration of the self includes focusing on changes in

–        Self-esteem: in men appears to be higher than in  women through most of adult years, but converges at age 70–80

–        Self-acceptance: more realistic about the future and accepting of the past

–        Personal control: perceptions of having internal locus of control appears to decrease with age

–        Ability to control personal life outcomes declines in late adulthood but varies among individuals

•         Older adults in society are often stereotyped

•         Ageism is a negative form of prejudice

•         Some social policies contribute to stereotyping

•         Some families reject their older members

•         Older members of action groups have gained political clout and lobbying power

•         Social issues associated with aging include

–        Social security and economic stability

–        Medicare and health-care costs

•         Older adults, when compared with younger adults

–        Have more illnesses and doctors’ visits

–        Are hospitalized more often and have longer stays

–        Have more chronic than acute health problems

•         Eldercare can be very stressful for family members and is a very important issue for older adults

•         Generational inequity is a very controversial issue for young and older adults 

•         Other concerns for elderly adults include

–        Living in poverty, with minorities affected two or three times more than Whites

–        Living alone: more often women than men

–        Institutional residence and care

–        Retirement income levels

Families and Social Relationships

•         Lifestyles of older adults are changing

–        One-third will marry, divorce, and remarry, replacing the traditional marriage that ends only in widowhood

–        Older widows outnumber older widowers 4 to 1

–        Those married or partnered in late adulthood are happier than those who are single

–        Marital satisfaction is often greater for older women than older men

•         Causes of increase in remarriage by older adults

–        Rising divorce rates

–        Increased longevity

–        Better health

•         About 8% of all older adults have never married

•         An increasing number of older adults cohabit due to social pressures and family sanctions

•         More older adults are in the dating pool and may express their sexuality differently from young adults

•         About 80% of older adults have middle-aged children 

•         Childless older adults have more contact with relatives than older adults with children 

•         Gender affects relationships between older adults and their children – daughters are three times more available 

•         Adult children coordinate and monitor services for aging disabled parents  

•         Relationships between adult children and aging parents are both positive and negative

•         As four-generation families become more common, great-grandparenting is not a clearly defined role 

•         Young children interact more with grandparents than great-grandparents 

•         Sibling relationships are the longest relationships that most experience in a lifetime – sisters being more likely than brothers to maintain family ties

•         Siblings with close family ties tend to feel better about themselves than estranged siblings – most siblings “mellow out” from old grudges 

•         Sibling ties tend to be strongest in adulthood 

•         Older adults prefer fewer close friends than making new friends – having a best friend lessens depression, especially among married women

•         Friendship with unrelated adults often tends to replace warmth, companionship, and nurturance once traditionally supplied by family

•         Social support and integration of older adults

•         Improves their physical and mental health

•         Reduces symptoms of disease

•         Increases one’s ability to meet health-care needs

•         Decreases risk of institutionalization

•         Women rely more heavily on friends than men

Ethnicity, Gender, and Culture

•         Older minority adults, especially African Americans, are over-represented in poverty statistics  

•         Double jeopardy exists for older adults in ethnic minorities, but most have developed better coping mechanisms 

•         Some older adults in ethnic minorities derive internal satisfaction from their churches and communities 

•         Some researchers believe gender role changes in older adults lead to decreased femininity in women and decreased masculinity in men

•         Some evidence shows that older men tend to become more feminine as they age, but women do not become more masculine

•         Older women may face double jeopardy from both ageism and sexism, and triple jeopardy from racism as well if they are members of an ethnic minority

•         Older men tend to disengage from work and other outside-the-home activities, while women tend to engage more in these activities and work

•         African American women show remarkable coping skills, adaptability, and resilience when
facing stress

•         Older adults can enjoy high status in a culture if they

•         Have valuable knowledge

•         Control key family/community resources

•         Are allowed to engage in useful/valued functions as long as possible

•         Have role continuity throughout their life span

•         Make age-related role changes that give greater responsibility, authority, and advisory capacity

Successful Aging 

•         Being an older adult has many positive aspects

•         Older adults’ functioning is the result of better health habits such as

–        Eating a proper diet

–        Having an active lifestyle

–        Engaging in mental stimulation and flexibility

–        Having positive coping skills

–        Having good social relationships and support

–        Avoiding disease

•         Successful aging involves having a sense of self-efficacy and a perceived control of environment